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Preview
  • Marbeck and the Double-Dealer

  • Marbeck Series, Book 1
  • By: John Pilkington
  • Narrated by: Philip Franks
  • Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (358 ratings)

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Marbeck and the Double-Dealer

By: John Pilkington
Narrated by: Philip Franks
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Summary

From the author of the successful Thomas the Falconer mysteries comes a new historical series featuring Elizabethan intelligencer Martin Marbeck....

1600: A new century dawns. War with Spain has dragged on for 15 years, the conflict in Ireland for six. Unease stalks England in the dying years of Elizabeth I’s reign, and Elizabethan intelligencer Martin Marbeck is bored.

Then a message from his spymaster, Sir Robert Cecil, arrives: the existence of a spy has been discovered, code-named Morera, and Marbeck must uncover the true identity of this traitor quickly, before rumours of the young King Philip III forming a new Armada prove themselves to be true.

©2012 John Pilkington (P)2014 Audible Studios
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What listeners say about Marbeck and the Double-Dealer

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

an Olde Englishe Spy Chase

Excellent story and narration. Loved it and good period of history too. Must try his other titles.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story

I enjoyed this story and look forward to the next instalment. a good story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator

Phillip Franks is a fantastic narrator, he just be the bench mark for all who narrate - he is perfect!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good plot

A plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing. I had to listen to Phillip Franks’s performance at 0.9 speed as he has a very fast pace. It improved the rendition greatly. A few problems with factual matters in the text though. The writer’s knowledge of horses and English style riding seems minimal, with long arduous journeys being undertaken bareback in silly amounts of time. A bridle becomes a harness, and reins are shook to make horses drive forward. At times the dialogue and descriptions are a bit laboured but overall, as long as you don’t want literary historical fiction, this is a satisfactory read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

An entertaining storyline, well narrated, of Elizabethan spy networks and intrigues with twists and turns that succeed in keeping you guessing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great once got into it.

Think I was waiting for previous characters from Mr Pilkington's Hawker series to appear for the first few chapters since had been listening to these immediately before this & why took me a while to get into this book. Hence it getting 4 stars instead of 5 from me. It's a stand alone story about spies in 1500s Elizabethan England. Once realised it was a stand alone story I relaxed into it & found it to be great in its own right, full of interest & intrigue, well written characters and believable plot twists. The narration is overall very good although a little fast paced for me at times. Overall a very enjoyable listen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More please

Really liked it. Better than Rory Clements which I couldn't finish. Any more Marbeck novels?

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Dubious Spy

Excellent narration lifted the story. Marbeck is a disaster of a spy, his guesses are wrong, his plans go awry and his compassion get him into trouble. However, this adds to his humanity in the fledgling service that wil eventually become MI5 and MI6.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bond 0007

Enjoyable Elizabethan spy drama with believable charicatures, well told and expressed with feeling. Must explore more in the series.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Historical Whodidit.

Swashbuckling yarn and daring-do. Short on women in the story. Fine yarn and interesting.

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